Jump to content
American Road Magazine
Celebrating our two-lane highways of yesteryear…And the joys of driving them today!

Exploring The Yellowstone Trail In Washington


Recommended Posts

Since moving to Seattle, I've fallen in love with the Yellowstone Trail. It's nice to have an old road so close to home. The YT in Washington travels over so many different types of terrain, and there's always some old alignment to explore.

 

This past weekend, Sarah and I traveled from Seattle to Yakima to Walla Walla to Colefax to Spokane. And then we hit some old segments of the YT on US 2 on the way back! Tons of pictures were taken and a LOT of old alignments were explored. We checked out old bridges, original concrete (!!!), old towns and even a brand new alignment of US 12. We covered 923 miles in just two days and probably should have taken three or four days to really see it all.

 

Nevertheless, I have posted the first day's journey with a whole mess of photos right here.

 

I've done my best to mix historical fact with fun, adventure and silliness. The second day will hopefully come tomorrow.

 

-Eric

 

 

P1110788.jpg

 

P1110649.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Eric,

 

A splendid job! It won't be done better.

 

A couple of comments......

 

I didn't know the Denny Creek campground road (old YT) is now closed at the pass. Is that what I saw in your photos?

 

The grader (are there still two?) at Colfax dates to the period of the YT. I have surmised it may have been used to grade the trail itself.

 

Looking forward to the next installment!

 

Dave

 

Keep the Show on the Road!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks!

 

It's not closed, per se. There's just a bunch of snow there. It's totally open.

 

There was one grader that we saw, though at that point, we were pretty lost and stumbled upon it accidentally. It was getting dark.

 

One thing I *did* notice was the lack of the Davenport billboard. Hopefully, I just missed it. More on that tomorrow, of course.

 

-Eric

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks!

 

It's not closed, per se. There's just a bunch of snow there. It's totally open.

 

There was one grader that we saw, though at that point, we were pretty lost and stumbled upon it accidentally. It was getting dark.

 

One thing I *did* notice was the lack of the Davenport billboard. Hopefully, I just missed it. More on that tomorrow, of course.

 

-Eric

 

 

I hope the Davenport billboard is still there. It would be easy to miss driving westbound as it is (in that direction) far off on the left and effectively behind a line of trees. Since it was for a hotel in Spokane, I guess thay didn't care if westbound traffic didn't see it.

 

 

There can't be many original billboards still around, so I hope someone hasn't torn it down. I tried to get the fellow who restored the Davenport to be interested years ago, but it didn't "take."

 

 

Dave

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bravo! Well done, as always. Saw that this was posted earlier but waited until I had the time to fully enjoy the trip. And so I did!

What is it about small towns and interesting, unusual old cars? They're always present.

Loved the shot of the 'anvil building' with the end-of-the-line (54?) Kaiser, '61 Chevy Biscayne or Bel Air, '71/'72 Mustang Mach 1, and '64/'65 Barracuda out front. How great it would be to walk out and think "Which classic car should I drive today?" The second car I owned (1978-84) and first one I purchased myself was a '72 Mach 1, so that one really resonates. I want it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bravo! Well done, as always. Saw that this was posted earlier but waited until I had the time to fully enjoy the trip. And so I did!

What is it about small towns and interesting, unusual old cars? They're always present.

Loved the shot of the 'anvil building' with the end-of-the-line (54?) Kaiser, '61 Chevy Biscayne or Bel Air, '71/'72 Mustang Mach 1, and '64/'65 Barracuda out front. How great it would be to walk out and think "Which classic car should I drive today?" The second car I owned (1978-84) and first one I purchased myself was a '72 Mach 1, so that one really resonates. I want it!

 

 

I've never been a huge old car fan, but they photograph REALLY well. One of my big pet peeves is taking a photograph of some old, run down building and there's a 2008 SUV in front of it. It just kills it for me. But if there's something before 1975 (or even a beat up 80s K-car), it brings a depth and beauty to the picture that would otherwise be lost.

 

That said, one interesting thing I discovered: *any* car of *any* make from 1964 is always wonderful. '64 was probably the best overall year for cars (in looks, anyway). Great job, everybody! Sadly, it's been on a decline ever since.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...